Giddy Girlie

That's what everyone says. "How can you NOT watch?!" You're geeks and superhero freaks! This show was MADE for you.

My problems are these :

• I am too lazy to watch a plotline series of any sort. I like shows where I can not watch for months (which happens a lot) and come back to it, and I still know what is happening, more or less.


• I cannot keep a TV schedule in my head for all the tea in China. Seriously. I inevitably end up tuning in on the wrong day/time and always have just missed what I wanted to see in the first place. That's why TiVo is my hero.


• I have too many shows that I like already hogging up space on my TiVo. When you figure that I get home around maybe 6:30pm every night, then factor in that I have to feed myself (maybe 20-30 mins) and bathe and maybe do laundry and pay bills and interact with The Family, I probably have 1-2 hours of "free time" each day, during which I might watch TV. But like I said, TiVo overfloweth and so I have to carefully weigh which shows I watch before they get deleted. If I can only pick 1 show a night, it's probably going to be Grounded For Life or Seinfeld or Venture Brothers or King of Queens or Scrubs or The Office or... you see where this is going? Heroes would be 527th on my waiting list.


• I hate suspense. During the course of a 2 hour movie, I will chew all 10 nails to the quick because I can't STAND it. Imagine the insanity of waiting, what? 3 years for some freaking answers on Lost. I'd kill people. Call me a control freak or a brain-warped American Consumer, but holy Flying Spaghetti Monster, give me the 30 minute sitcom format where it all wraps up in a neat little bow at the end and I am laughing.

But this doesn't mean anything for YOU. By all means, please go and enjoy! And now you know that I am one of those people that you can talk about it in front of who has nothing insightful to add, but also won't be offended if you spoil a plotline.

Posted by giddygirlie at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

signbot

Posted by giddygirlie at 3:15 PM | Permalink

Jenn : Ok, so I read an article today about a woman who was shot, then caught on fire. But they going to do an autopsy to determine the cause of death....
Mia : ?
Jenn : Possibly the gun shot and burning flesh?
Mia : she choked on an unsalted peanut
Jenn : While gasping for air, she walked into a gang shooting and fell into a camp fire
Mia : into a hive of bees coated in peanut butter and latex
Jenn : ??
Mia : y'know, allergies?
Jenn : this whole thing kind of reads like a Mad Libs

Posted by giddygirlie at 8:23 AM | Permalink

My dear friend John (who I also used to work with) adopted 2 cats in 2005 who suddenly died. They both suddenly started having seizures that left the vet stumped and within a week they were both dead. (Personally, my money was on poisoning of some kind, maybe they ate shampoo or something while he was gone during the day.) He was plenty upset, but the people at work gave a load of shit about it, because we're just not the kind of people who offer you a tissue when you cry. No, we're more like the kind of people who point out that you're dripping snot.

So in April 2006 John decided to adopt a new cat, Ted, everyone at work started a Death Pool. For the record, I did NOT place any bets because I am loyal and kind and also didn't have $5. Eric (who is generally the ringleader of all these things) tracked news of Ted with an update on his bulletin board every few weeks. Below is the transcript, if you're interested.

Rule #7 in the Death Pool that said if Ted was given away or adopted, the funds of the pool would go toward a happy hour in his honor. Friday was the Memorial service at TGI Friday's. Is there any place more appropriate?

Official Rules for the Ted T.o.D. Pool
1. No Refunds. All bets are final. All forfeited proceeds will go to The Ted Fund.
2. If you have any direct involvement in the intentional demise of Ted you will be disqualified.
3. In the event Ted dies between two selected dates, the winner will be determined by the selected date that is closest to the actual Date of Ted's passing. Actual Time of Death will be used in the event of a tie.
4. Should Ted seek your help in an emergency you are permitted to help him, however, a group consensus may be necessary to determine further eligibility in the contest. You may continue to play if a 2/3 majority is obtained.
5. Over/Under is based on the date John took custody of Ted: February 6, 2005
6. In the event that Ted actually lives, all proceeds will go to The Ted Fund
7. If Ted is given up for adoption or abandoned, the Ted T.o.D. is considered complete and the game finished. Ted will be considered to have lived a "complete" life under the care of John. In this case, all bets will be forfeited to a send off happy hour in Ted's honor. Location TBD.

Ted Update Board

4/10/2006
Ted "has one eye shut and is drooling". Judgment withheld.

4/21/2006
Ted is reported as "healthy". Note: Report was unable to be verified by an outside source.

5/18/2006
Per John, Ted is doing "well". He can jump up to 3' in the air while chasing his catnip ball. He is also shedding. We are coming upon summer, so this is viewed as a healthy and normal occurrence.

6/20/2006
Ted is apparently lashing out and or making a desperate cry for help. John reported that Ted urinated on the bathroom rug. Because of the "rug marking", John is seriously doubting the compatibility of Ted and the current living situation. Adoption has not been ruled out as an option. John was overheard saying "Do you know anyone who wants a cat?". Ted is also said to have one eye that has "turned red". Earlier rumors that the eye was closed again were not confirmed.

7/6/2006
Sources close to John revealed today that Ted was being fed "medicated" food to help Ted's bathroom rug urination problem. John has not taken Ted to a vet and is not even sure if Ted has any true medical issues, but special cat food is in Ted's bowl at this very second. John has also supplemented this kitty cocktail by sprinkling additional medication on the food. It could not be confirmed if the "medicines" in question were or were not illegally obtained from Mexico. As of this writing, John was unavailable to discuss his vast veterinary/medical/pharmaceutical training and experience.

7/10/2006
It is feared Ted is hooked on kitty-smack, but on an up note, his hair has grown out and he looks healthy. John said that Ted actually looks overweight. Perhaps Ted's obesity is a direct side effect of his forced drug addiction. John also stated Ted has been using the litter box ever since the bathroom rug was removed. Ted and John enjoyed each others company this weekend, however one hallway observer did pose the question "Who will care for Ted during John's Euro trip?" No answer was given by John.

7/25/2006
Ted has fleas.

8/15/2006
John today reported that Ted "pee'd on the chair in a diamond pattern" not once, but twice! The flea infestation has come to an end thanks to a bug bomb and Advantage. Ted was described as being "playful", but his eyelids are sticking.

9/22/2006
A rumor was heard by the staircase indicating that Ted has been given up for adoption! John could not be reached for comment, because he is gallivanting around in his alleged cat-free lifestyle, vacationing in Europe. This Euro-tour was supposedly the reason John gave for the abandonment. It was reported that Ted may now be in the custody of a friend or neighbor. It could neither be confirmed nor denied that Ted's new aliases were either Bucky or Sparkles.

10/6/2006
John has left [The Company]. Though John is not currently under investigation, it seems oddly convenient that he has fled from work only one week after returning from Europe. And even more conveniently, it was the week of [Huge Company-Wide Event out of town], where no staff member could question John about Ted's whereabouts.

10/20/2006
John was seen at Atoosa's promotion happy hour at BJ's Tustin. No mention was made of Ted. John does not know that this reporter has information regarding Ted's abandonment.

12/7/2006
This evening, Thursday December 7th, a day which will live in infamy, this reporter was shocked to hear that Ted was suddenly and deliberately abandoned... and possibly murdered. With great scandal oozing from her voice, an eye witness reported that John was sited at a social function. The witness inquired about the "true story" surrounding Ted's disappearance. John was noticeably ashamed and said, with his head held low, that Ted had been intentionally given up to the Humane Society.

Upon further questioning, John admitted that he knew the Humane Society gives once loved pets only 2 weeks to be adopted, or face an untimely demise, after a short stint on kitty death row. John was given the option of being informed of Ted's outcome, but because John's playboy lifestyle had taken him off on a European sexcapade, no information was obtained by the one time proud parent, and now three time cat killer. If John writes a book called "If I Did It", a civil suit may be forthcoming holding John liable for having a direct involvement in Ted's untimely passing.

12/12/2006
Post Script: Though no one can ever really know the true story of Ted's final days, it is unfortunate that the best guess and most logical conclusions indicate an end that no one wanted for him. We must never forget Ted, and as such, if you are reading this, please inquire as to the next Ted memorial Happy Hour. Location, much like Ted, TBD.

Posted by giddygirlie at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

*get the joke here, punch line here

This weekend went by in a blazing fast blurring... um... blur thing. Saturday, Miss Bliss came over to work on The Story Idea with me and Ryan which was so much fun. Once we finalize a draft of the story, then I can talk about it more detail. But right now, it isn't ready to post out to the universe. I don't want nobody stealin my gaddum idears! But anyway, the best part was having Miss Bliss to ourselves for a whole day. Once again, we held her captive for something like 12 hours until she was begging to go home because The Sun Is Coming Up And I Still Have An Hour Long Drive Home And I Need To Be Awake In Like Five Hours So That I Can Do Some Work. Yeah, it was awesome.

Even RYAN was funny (*gasp*). Well, at 2am he was anyway. We had the Late Night Giggles something fierce and were talking about people who have kids to save their relationships and he said, "Yeah, babies always save the day." Which is much funnier when you're sleepy. Seriously, tonight at 2am think of this and you will laugh too.

Sunday was less fun, especially by comparison. I decided to take a spin in the tanning booth since the weather here is turning foul over the next few days and my eczema on my face is going crazy (and taking me with it). Sunlight helps my skin a LOT so I headed over to slap down my $3 for a tan. Ryan came with me for the first time, and hindsight being what it is... well, let's just say that your husband isn't as worldly as he will have you believe. But in the end, at least he wore underpants so that his nards don't match the lobster red of his everyplace else.

Posted by giddygirlie at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I want to buy some rain boots for NY and also possibly just for fun. I have been looking at all these adorable ones at Nordstrom (I think "Tattoo City" is my favorite), but really I can't justify spending $50 or $60 on rainboots. Orange County gets like 3 inches of rain a year or something and it comes 1/16" at a time so it's not like I am going to get THAT much practical use out of them. However, in NY it rains and snows, and so I want to be prepared. And also? These ones are $20.

So I am a huge dork, and I love skullies and pirates and all that jazz -- but I am not sure if I want to go Full Fledged Pirate and get the black with skulls and cross-swords or the grey with just skulls. I think I am leaning toward grey - but what do YOU think?

OR

Posted by giddygirlie at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

This weekend didn't turn out quite as we planned, but it was nice nonetheless. Friday night, I finally got my car back from the transmission shop but was wary about driving it up north so we went ahead and rented a car. We needed something with enough space to haul a special glider-rocking chair that we wanted to take to Shannon (who is growing Niece/Nephew 2.0) so we ended up with an SUV. And although on principal I am not supposed to like SUVs, it was rather pleasant. We got a Jeep Liberty and the driver seat was slightly too high for my short legs, so I had to stretch to drive which made my back go wonky after a while (3 hours). But when I was passenger it was great. Ryan liked driving it, so it totally worked out.

Anyway, we woke up Saturday morning to Miss Shannon delivering breakfast (she is too good to us) before we set out for our day of toodling around town and 'visiting' with everyone. We hung out with Shannon and Randy for a while and then I started feeling really sick and suddenly spiked a fever, so I went home (actually Ryan's grandma's house - fortunately she was out of town so I didn't pass cooties to her) and fell asleep into a zombie coma. It was bad - my fever must have been really high but I couldn't stay awake long enough to find a thermometer so I just gulped some ibuprofen and slept like the dead. For about 6 hours. I woke up just before the decision had to be made whether to wake me up or go out to dinner without me. I felt much better, so I got up for dinner and we went to the Pismo Beach Fish & Chips which allegedly has the world's best fish & chips. I couldn't say, I didn't feel up to trying them.

Saturday night I couldn't fall asleep for a long time (because I slept all day) but when I did, literally 6 minutes later I woke up gagging. I ran to the bathroom and literally just made it before what Ryan called "the most violent barfing I have ever heard in my entire life." It was gross. BUT I did feel better afterward, so there's that.

Sunday, we went for breakfast and then saw Randy off to his new job driving the trolley route in Avila Beach. It's fun because it's a tourist trolley ride, so he is supposed to give a spiel about the history of the places, etc. But the thing that I love best about Randy is that he is like me and just SAYS stuff sometimes and you're like "what?" For example, the sign in the bus says that the driver's name is Vincent. We noticed it and he said (there are other passengers in the trolley, mind you) "Oh Vincent doesn't drive anymore. He's got some crazy disease and he's probably going to die." So we asked about the other names. "Oh, he doesn't work here anymore because he crashed the trolley into a tree and made it flip over." Awesome. The BEST part was that at dinner the night before he was telling us how he needs to stop himself from saying that stuff. Like when he pointed out to a group of tourists the sign about the shark attack and went on to tell them the details of the woman that was killed, but then softened it kind of at the end by saying "she was my friend." He's going to single-handedly kill the Avila Beach tourism industry. I love it.

After that, we had to head home so we could return the rental car and also get home to the monsters. We only made one stop at Pea Soup Andersen's which was one of my family's famous stopping points along the drive (we used to vacation in central coast a lot). There used to be more Pea Soup Andersen's but now I think it's just this one. I still wasn't feeling very good, so I ordered a grilled cheese and even though I only took 3 bites it was the best grilled cheese sammich I have ever had. Seriously. But we had fun on our stop because we are nerds and amused ourselves with jokes about the first bicycle ever made and also cringing at the musak version of Bob Marley. I almost broke down and bought a stuffy educational coloring book, just for the sheer nostalgia.

I wish that I had some better stories about how I sculpted my own likeness out of gum for the gum wall or how I ate my weight in BBQ ribs or how I caught 60 Pismo clams or drove an ATV on the beach but alas all I did was chat and barf and then ride shotgun on the way home and amuse myself with picture taking out the window and singing the Sound of Music really really loud.

Posted by giddygirlie at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Tonight, we are renting this car

And driving this route

To see these people

And probably go to see this place

And this one

And eat BBQ here (it's so much better than the Huntington Beach one)

So if you need anything, this guy is in charge.

Posted by giddygirlie at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I've worn my hair every length imaginable over the years, and for the past year or so I have just been lazily letting my hair grow long. I like it long because then I can (1) twist it in a clip (2) twist it up in a pencil (3) twist it up in a knot (4) put it in a ponytail. But I hate it for all those same reasons.

The reality of my life is that I have about 16 seconds to style my hair in the morning (see 'twisties' above). My hair when it is long is pretty thick and curly, which means that it takes about 20 minutes (no exaggeration) to get it DRY and then I have to start with the flat iron, curling iron, what have you. Too time consuming for every day. And even though I like the ability to sport jaunty hairdos for the weekends, I hardly ever do.

Thus, I have been contemplating the joys of the scissors once again, and I find myself being drawn to REALLY short haircuts. The kind that I am way too old and too fat to try and pull off, but still! They're so cute!

Usually I end up with something sort of like this (I don't usually flip the back, I'm not sure why it was like this).

I like this look too and have worn it without such heavy bangs, although I like the look.

EmilyM always has the cutest hair -- but she also has such a gorgeous FACE to go with it, so seriously she could have a mullet and I would swoon.

I was searching through Flickr and saw this haircut and love it - but it's ReeHeeeely short. I dunno. Maybe I can't pull this off?

Posted by giddygirlie at 5:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

If I am going to pay $2,000 for a tranny, I want THIS one

NOT this one

Holy shit, man. My car was making this noise and I thought for once in my life I am going to be RESPONSIBLE and take my car in before something breaks. I am going to be proactive! Well that was a rookie mistake. If it works, drive it babe. When people on the sidewalks are holding their ears and dogs are dropping dead because your engine is making a shrill screech - fuck 'em. Just drive by fast and maybe wave. Plus if they get paralyzed by the noise, they'll already be handy on the sidewalk to help push your car out of the street when it finally does die.

Buh. So I took it to the mechanic, thinking it was a belt and he sent it out to a transmission shop and the mechanic there says that the good news is that he thinks it might be a needle bearing (it's all greek to me, people) and the part is only $12! Hooray! Except to change it you have to take out the whole transmission which takes like a full day or something, at $60 billion dollars an hour. He promised me* that he would work as quick as he could to get the transmission out and he would definitely keep cost in mind. Best case : it's just the bearing and the whole thing will cost about a grand. Worst case : some of the clutches (I have no idea) may need to be replaced, in which case it will cost about 2 grand. So either way, it's a SHITTON of money.

Bleh. So everyone put a penny under your pillow and cross your eyes and make a wish for me that I find my bearings and don't have to drive Ryan's fugly truck to work again tomorrow.

*I actually have faith in my mechanics. These are honest family friends and have NEVER steered me wrong or overcharged anyone.

Posted by giddygirlie at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I am cheap in ridiculous ways. I will spend money on appetizers with dinner, knowing full well that I may eat one but not both - and usually neither. I'll spend $13 to have my nails done, $75 to have my hair done. $15 on conditioner and $20 on Indian Food take-out. $0.50 to use the toll road for one exit to avoid traffic. $16 on the pens that I like to write with. $8 a month on this website...

But tonight I was brushing my hair and the WHOLE. BRUSH. got tangled in my hair because the bristles are all crooked and melted sideways from the blow dryer and as I was cussing up a storm, I screamed about how I need a new brush right now. But why don't I have one? Pshaw - they cost like $7 at Target. That's too much for a brush!

Posted by giddygirlie at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I swear that the Venture Brothers has ruined me forever. I can't sit through any show that doesn't have snappy dialog like this:

Dean: Hank! I had my pubes shaved. I'm gonna put them under the pillow for the tooth fairy!
Hank: Did the doctor see that creepy dog dork of yours?
Dr. Venture: Hank, don't brag to your brother about your circumcision.

Posted by giddygirlie at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

After watching Heathers repeatedly for something like a week, our passion for Christian Slater was stoked to a white hot heat and my cousin Jenn and I couldn't get enough. We successfully managed to convince my mom to buy us BOP magazine, which not only had some excellent new glossy pin-ups to add to the smooching wall in my bedroom (a story for another time) but it also had a full interview with Mr. Slater himself, in which they asked some very key questions. Something to the effect of this :

BOP : Do you like being an actor?
CS : Yes, it is a lot of fun and I get to meet a lot of great people.
BOP : How many movies have you been in?
CS : Probably eleventy billion because my mom is a casting director.
BOP : We heard that in one of your movies you have a nude scene. Tell us about that.
CS : Yeah, I was 16 and it was my bare butt and it's really embarrassing but the thing that would make it worth it is if Mia and Jenn run out and rent this movie right now.

Naturally, after reading this we HAD to see this movie, but we had some logistical problems. Her house was big and perfectly situated in the City, but she didn't have a VCR in her room and no way was her dad going to turn over the living room for a weekend for us to have a Christian Slater droolfest. My room had its own VCR but the house that my room lived in was in PoDunk Egypt in the middle of the mountains and the only source from which we could rent movies was the one-room library that actually housed more VHS tapes than books (I could ramble all day about the ratio of movies to books in a hick town library run by a woman who couldn't spell, but I'll save it for another day). Also, we lived about 40 miles away from each other, so no way could we stay at her house Friday night, go to Blockbuster, get the movies then go to my house to watch them until her parents came to fetch her on Sunday night. It's just not how it worked - you had to choose ONE house to be at all weekend and from Friday to Sunday, you were stuck where you were, like it or not.

Our Plan B wasn't actually so terrible. We cleaned out the library of it's Christian Slater titles - including Young Guns 2, Robin Hood, Gleaming the Cube, and Pump Up The Volume during which I am fairly sure our twelve year old bodies were about ready to burst. I can still make Jenn blush - to this very day - by asking "is it bigger than a baby's arm?" Anyway, we watched those movies over and over until we were about to faint from excitement. Now we knew every nuance, every twitch, every angle of Christian Slater and we couldn't wait to see more.

I think it was a week (or eternity) later that we finally got to rent the movie that we REALLY wanted - the one with the nude scene. It took a carefully crafted plan and swapping of chores and other white lies in order to get it, but we succeeded. After rushing into my room to watch it, we could barely contain ourselves long enough to get the tape in the VCR. Lights on or off? Popcorn or no? Are your hands steady enough to hold a drink or should I set it on your nightstand? Ready, set, go.

The movie was called "The Name of the Rose" and was some churchy snoozefest, led by Sean Connery. I don't know anything about the plot, because we only saw it in fast forward. While usually we could suffer through a subpar plot (see "Robin Hood") in order to see our boy, in this movie he was some sort of monk and so he had the bald spot in the back of his bowl haircut so he wasn't quite as cute. Also, he was actually 15 or 16 while making the movie, so he still had a goofy kiddish look to him. All the same, we wanted to see that ass. So we fast forward and forward and forward until - holy lord. Could that be? Are we so lucky that..? YES. It was an actual ESS EEE EXX scene featuring our boy, CS, during which you see him humping and pumping into some chick with a fully. Nude. Butt. Of course, we rewound the tape and watched the sex scene over and over until the film nearly snapped.

There it was. Christian Slater's butt. And also, maybe if you paused at the right time and tilted your head a bit, maybe that was part of his balls? What else could you EVER want (the caveat being that there was no Internet at that time)? Except maybe the fact was that this love scene was rumored to be REAL and that he had lost his virginity on film? And that Jenn and I are still the only people I have ever known who had even heard of this movie, let alone discovered it's hidden treasure.

Posted by giddygirlie at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Last night, I finished reading "Son of a Witch" which I have to admit was a bit of a let-down after Wicked. Wicked is written in detail, but you can tell by the 400+ pages that it was originally even MORE than that - it probably was 800 pages carefully edited down to 400. Perfect. Well, with Son it seemed that the editorial stop-guard was missing -- I mean, hundreds of pages of old-fashioned descriptions of plains and trees and fields. Nice? Yes. Boring as shit? Hell yes. I think that since this was a "tie in" story it wasn't edited as critically and probably borrowed some extracted pages of Wicked to fill in the holes.

The premise was very interesting, although I never really grew to like the main character (Liir) who never could decide if he liked himself either. The end was a thud of a disappointment that I suppose was meant to be uplifting, a treat - "Here you go! You made it to the end! Here's your Scooby snack! You're such a good girl!" but it turns out that it was banana flavored Now & Laters, which everyone knows are just GROSS.

If anyone is interested in reading it (seriously, my opinion is only my. opinion. and shouldn't stop you from reading), it's ready to mail -- just gimme your address and I'll ship it out. Like a book club by mail (thanks for the suggestion, Snowy).

Posted by giddygirlie at 4:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

When will TXT messaging have a message recall feature? I need it like, um, last Saturday.

1. Saturday night we went out with some friends and had some drinks at the Goat Hill Tavern, which is my favorite local dive bar and it was getting late and I was getting giggly, so I started text messaging people (seeing as how I am polite enough not to ring your phone at 1am). Fortunately, my phone is full of hooligans who were also up late and up to no good, so they started texting back. Then I realized that I sent the message to someone that I hadn't intended to, but luckily she shot back a sassy (not angry) retort and a smiley face, so it was all good. Oops.

2. Sunday Ryan and I were out at lunch and my phone started buzzing (incoming TXT) so I look at it, and he is (of course) over my shoulder and it's... um... let's just say a less-than-tasteful video. We both just stare at each other and then start busting up laughing. Did [The Person] mean to send this to me? And why? And ew! Ryan's just like "this is why you had to have a fancy new phone?" So we spent the whole lunch debating whether or not this was a mis-dial and if it wasn't - what did it mean? Why would you randomly send a filthy video to someone? Does it mean that [The Person] can trust my sense of humor? Or was [The Person] trying to make me vomit? I opted to be flattered, yet nonplussed. There but for the grace of FSM go I...

Posted by giddygirlie at 5:07 PM | Permalink

I don't really have many interesting things to say. So instead I will tell you about all of the books that I have read recently (I had 10 days of vacation around the holidays, plus I probably read 2 hours every day). Most of these are re-reads, because I didn't want to go buy books before Christmas - especially since the wish list that I handed out was 95% books. Just a side note for those of you playing along at home, I only got ONE book for Christmas, and it wasn't on my wish list, but it is listed below.

Fables : The Wolves - This is a REALLY good comic book series and I am super glad to have gotten it, even though it wasn't on my wish list. Silly enough, I also got Ryan a Fables book for xmas. It was recommended by some very trustworthy sources, so I picked it up maybe a month ago. I don't read the monthlies - only the graphic novels, so now I am stuck until another one comes out. If you decide to pick up Fables, please start at the beginning, I implore you. And before you go spend money on the book, check your local comic book store for a library or rental section. Yes, they do exist and it's usually like $2 a week or less, and then you can decide if you like it. Also, my caution to you is that the first book or two are really cool, but also have a very cutesy quality to them - not that it's bad, but just know that the books get WAY serious pretty quickly, which I think is a good thing.

Island of the Sequined Love Nun - I hadn't read this one in FOREVER, so it was so much fun to re-discover. The first few chapters are not for the squeamish, or probably anyone with a penis.

Practical Demonkeeping - if you like smart ass demons, crazy parables and lightning speed humor, you'll love this one.

Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove - the best premise for a story, ever. I laughed my way through the whole thing in 2 nights (it does not, however, cure insomnia).

The Stupidest Angel - I am a HUGE Christopher Moore fan (if you like Tom Robbins, Douglas Adams, or Kurt Vonnegut, you'll probably like him too) and this book is hilarious. Just know that it's about ten times as funny if you've read some of his other books (especially Practical Demonkeeping and Lust Lizard) because characters repeat - and they're the kind of characters that you WANT to show up in every book.

The Stranger - I grabbed this one off the back bookshelf to see if it had gotten any better with age. There are so many books that I read when I was young(er) that I thought were SO good or that I thought that I should think were good, but that maybe I didn't fully understand. I mean, I'm super crazy genius smart (no I'm not) but when you read Bukowski at 14 it's not the same as when you read him at 29. So anyway, I tried with the Stranger, and it affected me the same way as it did decades ago - interesting but not really powerful. Maybe I am lost in translation? Maybe I need a book group or Cliff's Notes? Whatever. And it's super short. I read the whole thing in like an hour. Next!

Wicked - when I was in Chicago, Ryan said "bring me something cool" and of course all I brought back was pictures of me partying 'til dawn which isn't exactly what he had in mind. While waiting for my flight, I ducked into the bookstore to get a book to read on the trip and saw the novel Wicked. I didn't know that it was a novel until the day that I left for Chicago, and Ryan had just heard about how interesting the play was and that the book was even better, so I thought it was a funny coincidence and bought it and brought it home. He hadn't read it yet (I don't like breaking the spines on other people's books) and I was bored out of my gourd, so I asked if I could read it (it's been 4 months, people!). Of course, he didn't care, except that I got OBSSESSED. Apparently staying up until 7:30am to read is "uncool." Anyway, I really liked the story and in the back was the first chapter of the next book…

Son of a Witch - last night I went to take a bath, and there was a present in the middle of the bathroom rug, and (thank the Unnamed God) it wasn't cat puke - it was this book! Ryan knew that he had to get me off his back somehow (he's just started reading Wicked, so every day I'm like 'so where are you now? Page 10? So that's the part where…' and can't stop talking about it). It worked. I read the first 150 pages or so last night and fully expect to have it finished soon - check back at 7:30am tomorrow.

Posted by giddygirlie at 4:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Ryan officially got the Official Invite to attend the NY Comic Convention (go ahead, laugh if you must. If you want to laugh EVEN HARDER, check the page in a few days for his bio and headshot - bwah ha ha) in February so we're heading out there for 5 days. We have basically 3 full days plus 2 convention nights (convention during the day, nights free to be hooligans) to explore around.... any suggestions? Also, please note that since we're not staffing our own booth, we are free to come and go and don't necessarily need to stay at the convention all day -- if ANYTHING better comes up, we'll go.

The NYCC is February 23-25, which means it's going to be pretty cold (probably in the 40's and slight chance of rain). The Jacob Javits convention center is located on 11th Ave., between 34th and 39th Streets. Our hotel is only a couple of blocks away. And there is a subway station very close by to both the convention center and the hotel.

We've already been advised to :
- see Evil Dead, the Musical
- visit Coney Island - CI is closed for the season
- go to a taping of the Daily Show
- see Spamalot
- eat lunch in Chinatown (and ship eggrolls back)
- eat in Little Italy
- go to the bar at the W in Times Square for a martini
- ice skate in Rockefeller Center
- visit the Albion/Bat Cave
- eat at the Soup Nazi place
- Cupping Room for Sunday brunch
- visit the Guggenheim
- best pizza in NYC
- dessert at Jacques Torres Chocolate

**list updated 1/4/07**

Posted by giddygirlie at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

[feyk key-shuh n]
- noun
a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday during which you do not actually travel anywhere, but mainly stay inside your own house: I planned to use my fakecation to clean out the bedroom finish the laundry.

I already know how lame this sounds, but I haven't been posting because I have been HOME all day for the last 11 days (sad, but true - I had the last eleven days off from work). Shhhhhh, I know what you're thinking, "But don’t you have a CompuTron at your house? Can't you access the interwebs from there?" and the answer is yes, but...

Instead of updating this website which costs me actual American Dollars to keep alive, I was busy neglecting everything else that needed to be done, in lieu of bicycle riding and Cranium and also some napping. That's just the reality of my life, kids. In brief, here's what you missed:
- I did not, in fact, clear out the bedroom which SORELY needs to be purged of boxes and bric-a-brac that should never have been put in there in the first place (I'm looking at you, cat condo).
- I did maybe 4 loads of laundry, which is approximately 4% of the total amount needing washing.
- Some gifts didn't arrive in time for pre-Christmas shipping and so they are STILL under my tree. For those of you missing a gift, hold tight, and I will do my best to get it over to you by Valentine's Day. Saint Patty's Day at the latest.
- Thank you to everyone who sent us holiday cards. And for those of you who still haven't yet received the card from us in the mail (ahem, we're a bit behind), you can laugh at it here.
- We had an awesome Mismas with lots of fun toys and things to eat and pretty holiday lights
- Our NYE was mellow, but nice. Thanks to all of you NICE PEOPLE who called at 2am from Vegas to brag about what a good time you're having and ain't I sorry that I didn't just drive out there and oh my gawd I can't believe that girl is naked in this cold weather and that the gin is FREE. Y'all can kiss my patootie. Fortunately for you, I already had my swerve on so I could laugh along with you and not punch your face through my phone.

Today, however, SUCKS. I got about 3 hours of sleep (I'm not on a Work Day sleep schedule) and so I am dragging my ass around the office, counting minutes 'til we go home.

Posted by giddygirlie at 11:07 AM | Permalink

And also? Can you please open this for me? I can't grip with this hand.

I am injured, folks. All of my own volition, although if anyone cared enough to call Social Services and say that my baby daddy is abusive that would be kind of flattering in a very sad and psychotic way.

Let me count the ways :

1. Ryan tripped and caused me to step on my own left foot, which injured the Big Toe nail and it is bruised under the nail now and looks ICKY
   
2. Ryan then leaned in too close for a kiss and chipped the edge off my Big Toe nail on the right foot
   
3. In an attempt to make a single trip, I carried ALL the grocery bags in one hand and ran upstairs quickly, but not before straining my right wrist (I have been in an ace bandage all weekend)
   
4. I ran into the table and gave myself a GIANT goose-egg bruise on my leg
   
5. a miscalculated turn, rammed my own ass into the arm of the rocking chair and gave me yet another green bruise
   
6. I caught the cupboard door on my shin (green bruise)
   
7. scratched the dry skin on my lip by mistake, tearing it off and causing a huge scab
   
8. sprayed myself in the EYE with perfume
   

I need to be bubble wrapped for my own safety.

Posted by giddygirlie at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)